October 24, 2012 - Suez Day in Egypt

This
holiday is celebrated by many in Egypt, but it is not an official
national holiday, and governmental buildings remain open. It
celebrates the resistance of Egyptian citizens during a 1973 war with
Israel.

Of
course...

I
am not “in favor” of war, and of course war in the Middle East is
particularly scary and upsetting. However, the next day (October 25,
1973) a ceasefire ended the war, and peace talks began halting
process toward making things better (at least for a while).

Now,
back to Suez...

Suez
is the name of an Egyptian city near the southern end of the much
more famous Suez Canal. This canal, completed in 1869, connects the
Mediterranean Sea (and through that, the Atlantic Ocean) to the Red
Sea (and through that, the Indian Ocean). This very important canal
is sometimes called “The Highway to India,” because ships from
Europe can use it to avoid having to travel aaaallllllllllllllllll
the way around Africa, when traveling to India. The Suez Canal
Authority, which is owned by Egypt and which runs the canal, is dedicated to the proposition that
all ships from all nations can use the canal, whether during peaceful
times or war. That includes even warships of warring
nations!

The
canal is about 120 miles (193 kilometers) long—just a single lane
with two passing places. There are no locks and pumps, because there
is no elevation change—the entire canal is at sea level, and the
sea waters flow freely between the two connecting seas.

The
Suez Canal Authority collects tolls from the ships that use the canal
and make the Rules of Navigation. I thought I was interesting that
the SCA owns and runs, not just the canal,
but also:

emergency
hospitals at each end of the canal

a
full-service hospital at Ismailia, SCA headquarters

14
ferry connections that cross the canal, along with 36 ferry boats,

a
shipyard

roads
alongside the canal

four
schools

sports
and recreation centers.

By
the way, the triangular chunk of Egyptian land that lies between the
Suez Canal and Israel is called the Sinai Peninsula.

About Me

This site is designed to be a source of interesting articles for kids and a resource for teachers and parents (especially homeschool teacher/parents!). From world holidays to historical anniversaries, Every Day Is Special celebrates each and every day.